Ivy Valentine
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, commonly called , is a character in the ''
Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the ...
'' series of video games. Created by
Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...
's
Project Soul is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the S ...
division, she first appeared in the original ''
Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the ...
'' and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series. She was voiced in Japanese by
Yumi Tōma , known professionally as , is a Japanese voice actress, narrator, author and singer from Chiba. She has been part of the singing group Goddess Family Club. Tōma once worked for Aoni Production before she founded her own agency ALLURE&Y. Becau ...
between ''
Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the ...
'' and ''
Soulcalibur III is a 2005 fighting game developed and published by Namco as a sequel to ''Soulcalibur II'' (2002) and the fourth installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and was followed by an improved arcade ...
'',
Kanako Tōjō is a Japanese voice actress from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. She voiced Karin in '' Naruto: Shippuden'' and Ivy Valentine in ''Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Ente ...
between ''
Soulcalibur Legends is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It is a spin-off of the ''Soulcalibur'' fighting game series. The game features seven playable characters, most prominently Siegfri ...
'' and '' Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny,'' and
Miyuki Sawashiro is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. She has played voice roles in a number of Japanese anime/games including ''Beelzebub'', Bishamon in '' Noragami'', Petit Charat/Puchiko in '' Di Gi Charat'', Mint in '' Galaxy Angel'', Sinon in ...
in ''
Soulcalibur V is a 2012 fighting game developed by Soulcalibur, Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As the sixth main installment in Namco's ''Soulcalibur (series), Soulcalibur'' series, ''Soulcalibur V'' serves ...
'', and ''
Soulcalibur VI is a 2018 fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Dimps, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. As the seventh main installment and a reboot (fiction), reboot of the ''Soulcalibur'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 ...
''; in English, she was voiced by Renee Hewitt in ''
Soulcalibur II is a 2002 fighting game developed and published by Namco. It is the third installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series of weapon-based fighting games as the sequel to ''Soulcalibur'' (1998). Originally intended to be released on Sega's NAOMI arcad ...
'' and
Lani Minella Lani Jean Minella (born July 28, 1950) is an American voice actress, voice director, and producer mostly working in the games industry. She is also the founder and owner of the voice-acting agency AudioGodz. Career After college, Minella started ...
for the remainder of the series. In the game, she is the
illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
daughter of undead pirate Cervantes de Leon who was raised by a
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family until her father became obsessed with the cursed sword, Soul Edge, leading to his death and later her mother's. Desiring to destroy the sword, she creates a segmented, animated blade-whip, only to become Soul Edge's pawn and learn that it intends to use her as its next host. After an attack by Cervantes results in the loss of her soul, Ivy uses a temporary artificial one to keep herself alive, and continues after the blade. Ivy is considered one of the most prominent characters in the series as well as one of its mainstays, having appeared in every installment since ''Soulcalibur''. She is often referred to as the series' poster girl. Since her introduction, Ivy has been noted by critics for her sex appeal. Critical reception of her sexuality varies, with some saying the character's oversexualization is unnecessary, while others have argued that it is an essential aspect of her character design and has allowed for her to be more recognizable.


Conception and creation

As a character introduced in ''Soulcalibur'', Ivy's
signature weapon A signature weapon (or trademark weapon or weapon of choice) is one commonly identified with a certain group or, in the case of literature, epic poems, comics, and film, where it is a popular '' trope,'' for both heroes and villains to be associ ...
, a "snake sword" designed to be unique amongst the other weapons in the game, was selected before other elements of the character. Her design and concept were then built to revolve around it by designers Aya Takemura and Takuji Kawano, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. As with all the characters, after her appearance and movement were fleshed out by a
concept artist Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in film, video games, animation, comic books, television shows, or other media before it is put into the final product. The term was used by the Walt Disney Animation Studios as ...
, her character was rendered as a
3D model In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and ...
by a design team that worked solely on her, and then animated mostly by Naotake Hirata using
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
to create her in-game movements, with Yasushi Shibue designing the animations for her throws, and several animations created without the use of motion capture for positions difficult for the actors. During this phase the team additionally worked with the ''Soulcalibur'' story creators, refining the character's own role in the plot as needed throughout development. During development many alternatives for Ivy's design were considered, including a male ninja, a mummy, and a little girl, while the weapon remained constant, varying only in size. In the very early planning stages of ''Soulcalibur'', Ivy was originally conceived as "ninja girl/woman", something that was attributed to certain developers who were fans of the " young girl moe aesthetic. After a few concepts of a male ninja, they instead switched towards a female "queen" design. As things progressed they wanted to emphasize her as sexy but also highly mobile with a mysterious air, feeling the bondage-themed attire helped convey this image. Several ideas also considered giving her an eyepatch or a mask covering the right side of her face, with her missing eye locked in a look of "revenge", however they decided to instead streamline her appearance and outfit for the sake of rendering her character in game. With ''Soulcalibur II'', the development team chose her as their favorite character from the previous title. Producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama felt that her fighting style was not perfectly expressed in ''Soulcalibur'', and focused on Ivy from the start of the project to make her more "uniquely lethal". Namco has called Ivy one of the three most popular characters in the series in North American markets, alongside Taki and
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
. ''Soulcalibur V'' producer Hisaharu Tago emphasized this as a reason for the character's inclusion for the game, additionally citing her fighting style and role in the game's storyline. Senior visual designer Hideo Yoshi, who also contributed to her design and modelling, considered her his favorite in the series due to liking "cool female characters who could easily wear the main character mantle."


Design

A woman with short white hair cut into a
bob cut A bob cut, also known as a bob, is a short to medium length haircut, in which the hair is typically cut straight around the head at approximately jaw level, and no longer than shoulder-length, often with a fringe at the front. The standard bob ...
, Ivy stands tall, making her the series' tallest female character. Her bust size is 100 cm (39 in), though this was an aspect that the developers felt they had overdone by her appearance in ''
Soulcalibur IV is a 2008 fighting game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As the fifth main entry in the ''Soulcalibur'' series, it marks a significant evolution in gameplay with enhanced graphics and new features ...
''. A bluish-purple leotard covers her torso and arms, with patches of the fabric removed to expose her cleavage, buttocks and various parts of her abdomen. Similar leggings cover her legs midway below her thighs, connected to the leotard by garters at golden metal bands at their peak. A sleeve of the same material covers her right arm and hand, while armor covers her left arm, hand, and shoulder. A smaller pauldron covers her right shoulder, while high heels cover her feet, and a white glove covers her right hand. The left shoulder pauldron incorporates the Tudor Rose, a traditional heraldic symbol of England, while the plates of the armor were designed to resemble the links of her sword. The outfit was designed with a motif of both thorns and two intertwining snakes in mind, and to have a high affinity with her weapon. While it has been altered slightly as the series has progressed, the concept has remained consistent throughout the series, with the exception of the removal of the glove in later designs. For ''Soulcalibur V'', they considered several ideas for a redesigned look, including a thorn-based design with heavy amounts of exposed skin and a heavily laced full bodysuit made of "armor that looks like clothing". They finally decided to combine concepts of a
homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...
, nobility and a nurse/female doctor for her outfit. Despite the time gap between ''IV'' and ''V'' Ivy did not age due to her "cursed blood", though a collar and sleeves were added to her design to give her a more mature look, and at one point they considered glasses also but decided against them due to too many characters having facial accessories. Ivy's alternate character designs in the games are a contrast to her primary designs, often reflecting her role in aristocracy but meant to still keep an air of "adult sex appeal". The secondary outfits from ''Soulcalibur'' to ''Soulcalibur III'' consist of
count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
ess attire of either blue or red pants, vest, and jacket, with white boots covering her feet and her hair combed back. In ''Soulcalibur II'', a tertiary alternate design was added consisting of a red leotard and gloves with gold trimming, with red stockings on her legs; in addition, a fourth design resembling her appearance at the conclusion of ''Soulcalibur'' was considered, incorporating a cloak and the symbol of
caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; , ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris (mythology), Iris, the messenger of Hera. The s ...
on the front of her leotard cupping her breasts, but was unused. In ''Soulcalibur III'', a long, rose-themed dress with hat and veil was used as a tertiary alternate, one of several considered designs. For ''Soulcalibur IV'', a similarly themed black dress was used as her sole alternate design for the game. In ''Soulcalibur V'' a second outfit was created by guest contributor Mari Shimazaki, who had designed the character
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for Platinum Games. The outfit consists of a golden
catsuit A catsuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, Chiffon (fabric), chiffon, spandex (after 1959), latex, or velour, but may u ...
with a plunging neckline and white fur trimmings, as well as a serpent necklace with the head pointed towards her breasts with similar accessories on her ankles and wrists. Shimazaki added that while exposed skin was a trademark of Ivy's design, she wanted to take things in a fresh direction and focus on one bold point of exposure for the character's body, and felt only someone with Ivy's physique could pull the look off. Shimizaki later created an additional bunny-themed outfit for her appearance in ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords'', consisting of purple and lavender stripped frilled underwear, and a visored helmet with bunny ears sticking out of the top. In an interview with ''Metro'' for ''Soulcalibur VI'', producer Michinori Ozawa was asked about changes to Ivy's design as the series progressed, with the interviewer describing her current designs as "a lot more problematic today than they were when the series began". In response he stated "I understand that there are different opinions about such characters. So I think what’s most important is how you want to express and design such characters, and not just the female characters. But I still want to keep the body shape and the atmosphere of each character to be the backbone of each character."


Appearances

As introduced in ''Soulcalibur'', Ivy was raised by the Valentines, a
noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Ivy's father became obsessed with the cursed sword Soul Edge, and worked himself to death. Her mother died shortly afterward, and revealed to Ivy that she was not their biological daughter. Becoming an
alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
, Ivy learned of her father's obsession and decided to destroy Soul Edge. She created an animated, segmented sword, bringing it to life by unknowingly summoning Soul Edge's current host,
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
, and was convinced to become one of his allies without realizing he wielded the blade she sought. After learning the truth, and that her real father was the sword's previous host
Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his no ...
and her to be its next, she departed. Continuing her quest to destroy the sword in later games, Ivy was attacked by Cervantes and her soul consumed in ''Soulcalibur IV''. Using an artificial soul to keep herself alive, Ivy managed to defeat her father at Ostrheinsburg Castle at the end of the game. She also acts as a teacher to younger warriors when Soul Edge re-appears years later. In the rebooted timeline of ''Soulcalibur VI'', she breaks into the vault of long-dead weapon merchant Vercii to steal his notes, angering its guarding Voldo, though appeases him by returning the notes once she has the information she needs. Outside of the main series, Ivy appears in the
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
''
Soulcalibur Legends is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It is a spin-off of the ''Soulcalibur'' fighting game series. The game features seven playable characters, most prominently Siegfri ...
'', allying herself with the protagonist
Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
, and shares an understanding with another of his allies,
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. In '' Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny''s "Gauntlet" storyline, a side story set after the events of ''Soulcalibur IV'', Ivy assists the character Hilde and her party develop a cure for her father's ailment. When told that Cervantes' soul would be required as payment, they attempt to renegotiate, only for Ivy to use the protagonist's back as a chair while repeating her terms. She was also featured in a
gamebook A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...
for the ''
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'' series of
ecchi is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an adjective, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a verb, means "to have sex", and as a noun, it is used to describe someone of lasciviou ...
books, and later appeared as a guest character in '' Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos'', utilizing her character design from ''Soulcalibur IV''. Ivy appears in ''
The King of Fighters All Star ''The King of Fighters All Star (KOFAS)'' was a beat 'em up action role-playing game developed by Netmarble Neo and published by Netmarble. It was first released in Japan on July 26, 2018, for the iOS and Android. The game is a retelling of SNK' ...
'' in both her ''Soulcalibur VI'' design, and her "Aristocrat Catsuit" costume from ''Soulcalibur V''. In the story mode, Ivy is initially hostile, but later helps defeat Saiki from ''
The King of Fighters XIII is a 2010 fighting game developed and published by SNK Playmore. It is the thirteenth installment in the ''The King of Fighters'' series. Released on Japanese arcades, it was ported to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 globally in 2011, and an update ...
''. Ivy was also featured alongside Siegfried in a
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation of ''
Soulcalibur Legends is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It is a spin-off of the ''Soulcalibur'' fighting game series. The game features seven playable characters, most prominently Siegfri ...
'' printed in the Japanese shōnen '' Kerokero Ace''; the manga, written in a humorous tone, used a
running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
of Siegfried's annoyance that Ivy was significantly taller than him.


Gameplay and censorship

Designed as a weapon with the longest reach in ''Soulcalibur'', Ivy's sword Valentine consists of several smaller blades linked together by a chain, able to take either broadsword or
chain whip The chain whip, also known as the soft whip, is a weapon used in some Chinese martial arts, particularly traditional Chinese martial arts, Chinese disciplines, in addition to modern and traditional Wushu (term), wushu. It consists of several met ...
forms. These forms are represented by different stances Ivy can use in the series, altering many of her attacks for each and applying different uses to either form of the weapon, with some, such as Spiral Lust, a component of an existing attack. In addition to these, the sword can also have the segments be split apart, in which case they will attack the opponent in different ways before recombining on the sword's chain. Due to her variety, Ivy has been noted as being able to attack from any range, but also difficult to properly use unless utilizing a range the opponent is weakest at. Some of her attacks, such as Summoning Suffering and Calamity Symphony, involve grappling with the opponent to damage them, though these utilize complex controller inputs that require them to be utilized in tandem with other moves. Some versions of the original ''
Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the ...
''
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
censored Ivy's default costume by covering her bare skin with a lavender
catsuit A catsuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, Chiffon (fabric), chiffon, spandex (after 1959), latex, or velour, but may u ...
. With ''Soulcalibur IV'', Ivy's look on the promotional artwork was modified on the English website to hide her undercleavage, leading to suspicion of censorship in the American release of the game. When asked about the censoring, director Katsutoshi Sasaki stated he had heard of nothing of the sort having taken place. When released in North America it was shown that no actual censorship had occurred within the game.


Promotion and merchandising

Ivy was featured in a 1999 advertisement for the
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
port of ''Soulcalibur'', depicting a man at a
drive-in theater A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...
kissing his girlfriend but stopping to focus on Ivy. The character has been used to demonstrate the graphical features of both ''Soulcalibur IV'' and its follow-up title, '' Broken Destiny'' in a
tech demo A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of sho ...
and promotional flyer respectively, with an emphasis on demonstrating that while the model's
polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
count was reduced, her figure was not. Her likeness was also used as the basis for a costume for
Sackboy Sackboy is a fictional character and main protagonist of the ''LittleBigPlanet'' video game series published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Introduced in the 2008 video game ''LittleBigPlanet (2008 video game), LittleBigPlanet'', Sackboy is ...
in ''
LittleBigPlanet 3 ''LittleBigPlanet 3'' is a 2014 puzzle-platform video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is the third main installment in the ''LittleBigPlanet'' series and si ...
'', as part of a ''Soulcalibur'' themed costume pack for the title. Two print advertisements for ''Soulcalibur V'' prominently featured close-up images of Ivy's cleavage and buttocks, respectively, and were featured in various mainstream Japanese newspapers including
Nikkan Sports is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background ...
. The advertisements revolved around puns for either, such as "新春、期待に胸ふくらむ" (lit. "New year, my heart swells with anticipation") and English variants being allegedly banned in the United Kingdom. The ads in particular received heavy criticism for their sexist content, and books such as ''Gender and the Superhero Narrative'' have cited them as an extremely negative portrayal of women and the character. When asked about the ads, ''Soulcalibur V'' producer Hisaharu Tago claimed the text was intended to be a double meaning in reference to the game's new "character creator" features, and further argued "having some sort of erotic aspect on the surface is part of ''Soul Calibur''". Several action figures and figurines have been made bearing Ivy's likeness. Following the release of ''Soulcalibur'', a resin kit by Kurushima was released, alongside a figurine by
Kyosho is a Japanese company based in Tokyo, which operates internationally under the name KYOSHO. The company's main office is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, and the production headquarters are located in Atsugi, Kanagawa. Established in October ...
. Epoch C-Works released a 1/12 scale Ivy action figure of in a set of three for the title as well, featuring equipable weapons. In August 2003, Todd McFarlane Productions released an Ivy
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
amongst a set of five based on ''Soulcalibur II''. The immobile figure was modeled after her primary outfit and stood six inches tall with a base and retracted sword. A twelve inch tall immobile
PVC Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...
figurine modeled after her ''Soulcalibur III'' appearance was released by
Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on January 30, 1987, as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strate ...
in September 2008, using a white version of her outfit and extended sword; a dark blue outfit for an "international color" version of the sculpture was also produced.
Hobby Japan is a Japanese publishing company known for publishing and releasing books, magazines, light novels, games, and collectibles. Founded in 1969, the company owns and distributes such publications as the eponymous ''Hobby Japan EX'' magazine, as w ...
created a
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exclusive 1/8 scale PVC figure of Ivy in 2011 in honor of her appearance in ''Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos''. In 2012, an Ivy
bobblehead A bobblehead, also known by nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible figurine. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to the body by a ...
created by company Bobble Budds depicting her in her standard outfit was given to those who pre-ordered both the regular and Collector's Edition versions of ''Soulcalibur V''.


Critical reception

Although commonly cited as one of the most difficult characters to play as in the ''Soul'' series, Ivy has received a great deal of positive reception and has been described as one of the series' best characters. In 2009, she was featured on the cover of French magazine ''Ig'' alongside other female video game characters as one of the top heroines of gaming. ''
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'' named her one of the fifty greatest female characters in video game history, stating that as "an anti-hero who frequently clashes with other Souls, Ivy is a fascinating character for a fighting game". ''
UGO.com UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Online ...
''s staff noted her role as an antagonist in the first ''Soulcalibur'' while adding that it could be "difficult to truly appreciate ervillainy" due to her attractiveness, and adding that her appearance and attitude made her "a feared competitor". While former Fanbyte editor-in-chief John Warren described her as a poster girl for the series for "let’s say predictable reasons", he praised the character's fighting style and weapon, adding he would argue "Ivy is the first character in the series with a developed personality. It’s not a sunny personality—she’s a squarely Machiavellian jerk all the time—but it’s more than the ..non-personalities that populated the franchise before her." Ivy's appearance, body, outfit, and demeanor have all been at the center of discussions about the character, and have been attributed as reasons owing to her status as a fan favorite. She is commonly compared to or described as a
dominatrix A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...
, and has been noted both as the series' sexiest female. She has been displayed in various third-party media, her likeness appearing in material including magazine
swimsuit A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn ...
issue pin-ups and
periodicals Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...
such as ''
Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
'''s annual ''Girls of Gaming'' series. * * * Other sources have used her as a standard for a character
archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
, comparing later created female characters to her design and appearance. In a 2016 study done by researchers at
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
, Ivy was found to be the most sexualized character out of 571 playable female video game characters created between 1989 and 2014. The study used a character's "nudity, over-enlarged breasts or hips and unrealistically narrow waists" as "signs of hypersexualization". Reception of the character's sex appeal has been varied. Her bodily proportions, specifically her bust and buttock size, have been criticized as over-the-top, unrealistic, and unnecessary by publications such as ''Joystiq'', ''
Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time (maga ...
'', ''
VentureBeat ''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. ''VentureBeat'' is a tech news source that publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos. The ''VentureBeat'' company was fou ...
'', and ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
''. Gavin Sheehan of ''
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'' remarked that her design lost clothing, and became bustier, with each new installment. At the 2011 PAX East convention, an all-female journal panel led by ''The Escapist''s Susan Arendt agreed that while she was strong, and difficult but rewarding to master in the original ''Soulcalibur'', as the series progressed Ivy was reduced to "a nice ass bouncing around the room" in later games. Cecilia D'Anastasio of ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' noted that while she was the most recognizable character of the series, she looked like "a caricature of a pubescent boy’s preposterously-proportioned ideal video game lady" and that her character and weapon "helped land her in innumerable knock-off porn videos and pin-up images". She further felt that Ivy brought down ''Soulcalibur VI'' as a whole and made it feel out of place at
E3 2018 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 (E3 2018) was the 24th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
. The book ''Race, Gender, Media'' described her as designed for the viewing enjoyment of players "often assumed to be heterosexual boys and men" due her "pneumatic" body and revealing clothing, and further argued it was part of a standard to display the strength, skill and autonomy of characters like her with a heavy focus on sexualized bodies. The staff of Polish website ''WP Gry'' meanwhile argued she both contradicted and enforced negative stereotypes of women, calling her "sexual to the point of repulsive". However, they acknowledged that while some considered her appearance excessive, others argued it was empowering and helped define her as a character. However other sources offered counterpoints to these criticisms. Zachary Miller of ''Nintendo World Report'' stated that while the character stuck in his memory due to her "generous proportions ..it wasn’t just the size, shape, or jiggle—it was the way Ivy seemed proud of them" due to her attire, and how she seemed to weaponize her body as a distraction against opponents. ''The Escapist''s Adam LaMosca initially stated that while his first impression of the character was that she was the posterchild for "embarrassingly juvenile fighter design", he later came to see that her "oversexed dominatrix demeanor perfectly compliments her confident, punishing move set." Fernando D'Aquino of Brazilian website ''Techmundo'' stated she could be considered "a model of contemporary beauty", and felt her short white hair gave her a more "sensual look". Discussing reactions to female character designs in gaming for ''Kotaku'', Leigh Alexander noted that while Ivy's breast size seemed to increase in size as the series progressed, she felt it was part of the fantasy aspect of gaming. She further argued that Ivy's figure represents an ideal, calling characters like her "stand-ins for ourselves to some extent, we still haven't figured out a good reason why we want to look quite this way," and drew comparisons to depictions of the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
goddess
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
. In a later article for ''GameSetWatch'' she further elaborated on this idea, stating that characters like Ivy still had a place in gaming with "It looks like Ivy’s back is set to snap – but she’s a game character; she’ll be fine. Why not just enjoy it?"


Analysis

University of Delaware professor Rachael Hutchinson discussed Ivy's design through several books and papers, describing her height, power and sexualization as serving to emphasize her as a "deviation" from the female norm, as well as reinforce gender roles in the fighting game genre. She however argued the character's physical divergence was somewhat warranted due to the emphasis on sexual deviance on her character, "that places her outside accepted norms of heterosexual characteristics." She attributed the "need" for such justifications heavily on societal expectations of gender. She referred to this again in a later study involving students examining fighting game characters and reactions to them, noting male players were quick to claim the character harmed their immersion in the game despite similarly under-dressed male characters, and were quick to label her "slutty" and a "sexual deviant" for it. Hutchinson further argued one may enjoy such characters for reasons beyond titillation, offering examples such as a player wanting to engage in sadomasochistic fantasy towards themselves or others in Ivy's instance. Hutchinson also noted that while the developers focused on Ivy's exposed skin as one of her defining characteristics, she more questioned the "impossibility of her physique". More specifically her issue was with her design in ''Soulcalibur IV'', noting that prior to that game Ivy's physique was "well built and realistic, a powerful full breasted woman with defined musculature and slim torso". However in ''IV'' Hutchinson stated Ivy appeared "deformed", with the developers drastically increasing her breast size and the emphasis of her corset upon her hips, while reducing her attire to bands barely covering her. She stated that the over-sexulization of her character undercut her physical strength, due to compensating for "muscular power with giant breasts", and balancing her masculine characteristics by exaggerating her feminine features. She explored this further in the book ''Japanese Culture Through Videogames'', stating her belief that the introduction of Ivy's design led to a "sexualization race" amongst fighting game developers to see who could produce and get away with the most skin exposure in games, culminating in '' Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball'' where the characters were ultimately barely clothed for the benefit of a supposedly heterosexual male audience. In an article titled ''The Inexplicable Sexiness Of Ivy Valentine'' for ''Kotaku'', Maddy Myers stated that while Ivy's secondary outfits were more fitting for her character due to her background, she'd grown defensive of her primary outfit, feeling it made no more or less sense than any other character's attire in the game. She added while "Ivy is the most obvious scapegoat when it comes to pointing out Soulcalibur’s inexplicably sexy designs", similar reactions were not levied against other provocatively dressed female characters in the game, noting the presence of similarly dressed characters and adding that it was also "not about her storyline, since Ivy’s backstory doesn’t involve her getting disempowered or disrespected. It’s her breasts. The implication is that the only way she could be respectable would be if they were covered up, or reduced in size—something closer to the cup size of hebikini-wearing tots". She further stated that despite feeling the series had never "humanized" Ivy and describing her as a "sex symbol designed predominantly by men", she felt characters like her could be "reclaimed" by female players as symbols of power. The paper ''Subversive Ludic Performance: An Analysis of Gender and Sexuality Performance in Digital Games'' examined both viewpoints from Hutchinson and Myers, noting that the while the character was highly sexualized, the fact she was a dominatrix with an extremely sexual body in itself did not make her problematic as such people exist, but her presence in the environment of gaming did contribute to her acting as a stereotype. However it also argued that Myers' statement that non-heterosexual women enjoying the spectacle of a "sex-positive (female) dominant character, who is able to hold her own against powerful men" helped subvert the notion of such characters strictly serving as pander to the "
male gaze In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosex ...
", and that the focus on such pandering often disregarded non-heterosexual points of view, or simply the fact some players may enjoy a character they are particularly good with.


References


External links

* * (Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Ivy Fantasy video game characters Female characters in video games Fictional characters who use magic Fictional English people in video games Fictional Spanish people in video games Fictional people from London Fictional swordfighters in video games Fictional whip fighters Nobility characters in video games Soulcalibur characters Video game characters introduced in 1998 Video game mascots Mascots introduced in 1998